Green zone
For greenhouse operators, things are already well underway
There are few people in Pictou County who can boast about starting their gardening as early as Bob Parker.
The owner of West River Greenhouses put his first seeds in the ground Jan. 27.
Since then, he and his employees have been carefully planting more seeds, caring for cuttings flown in from warmer countries and transplanting plants to larger dishes as necessary.
While most people don’t start purchasing until May, Parker has months of work to get ready. Whereas once there was about seven operations like his in Pictou County, he is one of the few remaining to grow their own plants from seed and unrooted cuttings. He’s been doing it for about 45 years.
The unrooted cuttings come from places like Israel, Mexico, Africa and South America. They’re flown in, and Parker puts them in containers to start the process of preparing them for local gardens.
“It’s got bottom heat underneath and mist over top,” he says showing trays of plants that have been carefully set up. “The two of those together along with the shading to keep the sun off, that’s sort of the recipe to get the root to grow.”
Once they get roots, they move to a different part of the greenhouse where they aren’t as sheltered and from there they are moved to bigger dishes and put into a cooler greenhouse where they can become acclimatized so they’re ready to be planted in a garden.
Already Parker has rows and rows of geraniums and other plants well on their way to be ready for Mother’s Day. The strawberry seeds he planted on Jan. 27 he expects to put in hanging baskets any day. By the time they’re sold they’ll be hanging with runners, blossoms and even a few berries.
While many nurseries in Nova Scotia now purchase their plants already rooted, Parker said he likes his method. While there’s a bit of extra cost in caring for the plants he said it’s cheaper to ship them as cuttings.
“A lot of places now are bringing the seeds already started so they can start a month or a month and a half later. They just get the plants in ready to plunk right into the baskets or containers. We still like to do it the old way of rooting our own and seeding our own.”
He finds he’s able to have more control over the plants he offers too.
“It gives us more choice of varieties because you can only take the varieties the other guys are starting otherwise,” he said. “It helps our timing some too because we can spread things out a little more.”
As a nursery owner, Parker has to predict trends for the coming season. This year for instance with Canada’s 150th birthday, they’re expecting an increase in demand for red and white flowers, particularly from municipalities, so he’s planting more of those in preparation.
Another new trend is to use desert plants, which require little care.
“People can plant these in a little planter outdoors and go away almost all summer and not have to worry about them because they’re used to the desert,” he said. “We’re trying a little bit of that and a little bit of everything I guess.”
While there are risks involved and lots of work, Parker likes to be able to say he’s got locally grown plants.
“My point of view is why shouldn’t some of it be grown in Pictou County?”
Gwen Selig sets up plants in a greenhouse at West River Greenhouses.